Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Titre : SEMIARID SOUTHWEST TO IMPROVE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

Identification : 0442115

Pays : Etats Unis

Durée : START : 30 JAN 2022 TERM : 29 JAN 2027

Objectifs
Objective 1. Quantify the magnitude and variability of the water balance components in semiarid landscapes and identify their controlling processes. 1.A : As an LTAR observatory, continue to collect and curate WGEW datasets including precipitation, runoff, sediment, pond runoff and sediment, meteorology, soil moisture, fluxes, vegetation, spatial datasets, and make datasets available under FAIR principles. 1.B : Quantify intra-storm variation in stable isotope values of precipitation over WGEW and identify relative influence of moisture source, season, local weather and sub-cloud processes. 1.C : Track daily watershed water balance components for rangeland ecosystems in the WGEW and SRER for improved assessment of water status and associated productivity. 1.D : Incorporate a variety of enhancements into watershed and erosion models maintained by the SWRC to add additional sub-processes, reduce predictive uncertainty, make them easier to use, enhance integration with land management agency workflows, and expand their use geographically. Objective 2 : As part of the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network, characterize and quantify impacts of water and agriculture/water management on semiarid watershed and agroecosystem processes. 2.A : Assess how novel remote sensing tools and low-cost, automated optical imagery can be used to quantify evapotranspiration and vegetation carbon uptake in water-limited regions. 2.B : Improve large-scale mapping of rangeland vegetation cover, lifeform, and biomass to classify rangeland ecological sites and states. 2.C : Quantify the long-term variability of riparian woodland evapotranspiration and CO2 exchange and their controls. 2.D : Assess impacts of altered temporal rainfall regime on semiarid grassland water and carbon cycling processes. Objective 3 : Quantify and predict effects of climatic change, plant community transitions, and conservation practices on ecological, hydrological, and erosion processes. 3.A : Develop new conceptual and quantitative frameworks to assess the impacts of brush management on ecosystem structure and function and enhanced delivery of ecosystem services. 3.B : Assess impacts of climate change, wildfire, and vegetation management on hydrology and erosion processes across spatial scales within the rangeland-dry forest continuum. Two Goals are included for this Sub-objective. 3.C : Conduct field-based experiments on southwestern U.S. rangelands to assess the impact of woodland encroachment/infilling and tree removal conservation practices on vegetation, surface soils, and hydrology and erosion processes. 3.D : Evaluate the hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecologic impacts of failed soil and water conservation structures in Southwest rangelands. 3.E : Quantify how weather variability and potential changes in climate impact ecosystem net and gross carbon uptake in the water-limited Southwest. 3.F : Quantify how snowmelt amount and timing are impacted by vegetation structure under changing climate, wildfire, and vegetation management in the semiarid interior western U.S. 3.G : Estimate runoff and erosion risks over western U.S. rangelands.

Performing Institution : AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE TUCSON, ARIZONA 85721
Investigator : SCOTT R L ; GOODRICH D C ; WILLIAMS C J ; BIEDERMAN J A ; HEILMAN P

Présentation : USDA (NIFA)